Device for sealing boxes.



E. J. BROOKS.

DEVICE FOR SEALING BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. s, 1909.

Patented June 22, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. J. BROOKS.

' DEVICE FOR SEALING BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 1909.

Patented June 22, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

r a a r a. 1 I 7 EDWARD J. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

DEVICE FOR SEALINGBOXES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BRooKs, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and

a resident of East Orange, in the State of 1 New Jersey, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Devices for Sealing Boxes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates primarily to devices I forsecuring boxes with theaid of strap iron and seals but it is applicable to box-strap tools, ortools for tig tening box straps, for

general use.

The present invention consists H1 certaintnovel combinations of parts,and in a boxstrap .tool embodying such combinations or of them, ashereinafter more particu- 8r described and claimed. he leading objectsof the invention are to render the tool as simple and powerful aspossible, with reference to insuring the requisitestrength and durabilitin a tool required and adapted to embe the box strap in the corners atleast of the wooden box, by tensile strain, so as to prevent thedisplacement of the strap on the box, and thus to render a single sealednail all that is required strap after pre iminarilyfastening one of itsends by one other nail, permanently driven therethrough into. theboxcover, and stretching the band by means of the improved tool. Otherobjects will be set forth in the general description which follows: 7

Two sheets of drawings accompany this specification as parts thereof.

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a box and box strapillustrating the means for preliminarily attaching the box strap andpermanently fastening and sealing the same;

g. 3 is a side view of the sealing device or box-strap tool, showing thesame in position on the samebox, and illustrating its operationby fulland dotted lines; Fig. 4 is a top view of the sealin device or box-straptool one. larger scale, s owing it in position upon a box, andillustrating its interaction with a ,box'strap; Fig. 5 represents asection through the tool and strap on the H1ie-AB, Fig. 4; Fig. 6reresents a section on the line CD,' Fig. 4, illiistrating the straptightening operation; andFig. 7 represents a section on the same line,illustrating the operation 'of unwinding the pulling end of the boxstrap after the strap is fas s ed and sealed.

.Like reference characters refer to like parts in all tip figures. Y

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed larch 3, 1909.

and securely fasten a box- Patented June 22, 1909.

Serial No. 481,201.

may be of the construction set forth and' clalmed in my specificationforming part of United States Letters-Patent No. 847,276, .dated March12, 1907, but for the purposes of the present invention is preferablydriven into the top of the box cover, instead of into the bottom of arecess in the box cover as shown in the drawings accompanying thatspecification.

The improved sealing device or box-strap tool, shown at f, is composedof a frame, 1, a pawl-carrying hand-lever, 2, a toothed wheel, 3,interacting with said hand-lever, a strap-winding s indle or shaft, 4,rotatable with said whee, and a dog, 5, interacting with said wheel inthe stra -tightening operation, as illustrated by *igs. 3 to 5,inclusive, accompanying this specification, which see.

The frame 1 is constructed with vertical and horizontal portions atright angles to each other, forming a rentrant angle at its bottom,andis-thus adapted to be applied to and to. temporarily em race, as in igs.3,

-etc., one of the upper corners of a box, a, to

which a box-strap, b, has been preliminarily attached as in Fig. 1; andsaid vertical portion is preferably and conveniently pro-v vided with aspur, 6, shown in Figs. 5 and 7, which is driven into the wood to assistin temporarily holding the-tool in place on the box. The horizontalportion of the frame l-is constructed with cross bars, 7 and 8, to rest11 )011 the box cover, and upon the ends, 1 and 2, of the box strap, andwith a pair of bearings, 9 and 10, at its top, in which the shaft 4 ismounted so as to rotate freely. The hand-lever 2 is fulcrumed on theshaft 4, and is constructed with a pair of flat fulcrumembracing heelpieces, 11- and 12, in the shape of cap plates, arranged at the sides ofthe wheel 3, and-rigidly connected with each other and with the body,13,- of the handlever by through screws. Saidbody 13 of the hand-leveris recessed, as shown in Figs.

(Sand 7, and within, itsrecesses a pairof pawls, 14 and 15, and areversing :cam, 16, are pivoted, and a pair of springs, 14 and Figs. and.6,

- During this operation,-the ower disengage the lower pawl 14 and to 15,interacting with the respective pawls, are'inclosed; one or the other ofsaid pawls interacting with the wheel 3, as in Fig. 6 or Fig. 7. Saidreversing cam 16 is constructed with a thumb-piece, 17, which protrudesthrough a slot, 18, concentric with the shaft 4 in the front heel piece11. The wheel 3 1s fast on the shaft 4 at mid-length; and the shaft 4 isprovided with longitudinal slots, 19 and 20, on both sides of the wheel,and is mounted as aforesaid in said bearings 9 and at the to of thehorizontal portion of the frame 1. he dog 5 is attached to said verticalportion of the frame 1 by a horizontal pivot, 21, and is movable withinan opentopped notch, 22, in the frame, into and out of engagement withthe wheel.

WVith the tool f in position on the box a, as

above described and as illustrated by Fig. 3,

the box-strap ends 1 and 2 are loosely threaded through a seal, 6, andthe second box-strap end 2 is drawn beneath the outer cross bar 8 of theframe 1, and temporarily. attached to the shaft 4 by threading itthrough one of said slots, 19 or 20, and bending the extremity of thestrap. The shaft 4 is then turned in the direction indicated by thearrow 0 in Figs. 5 and 6 by oscillating the hand-lever 2 and therebyturning the wheel 3 and therewith the shaft 4 asin said which operationis continued until the box strap 1) is tightened to a suffi cient extentto embed it in the corners ,at least of the box a, as re resented at 23.awl 14 of the hand-lever 2 interacts with t e toothed wheel 3, andretrogression is prevented by the interaction with the wheel 3 of thedog 5 in customary manner. At the conclusion of the tighteningoperation, the seal e is adjusted, if. necessary, as to position, andthe seal nail d is driven therethrough and through both shackle ends 1and 2 into the box cover, as represented inFig. 5 The tool is thenadjusted for unwindingthe ulling end 2 of the strap, as represented byFig. '7, which includes reversing the cam 16 so as to engage i .theupperpawl with the wheel 3. One or two oscillations of the hand-lever 2,turning the wheel 3 and therewith the shaft 4 in the.

direction represented by the arrow 5 in Fig. 7, will then suffice tounwind and dis'en age the strap end 2 from the shaft. The too f is thenremoved from the box, and the loose portion of the strap end 2 is ormaybe removed by cutting it off as close to the seal 3 as may be desired.

The slots 19 and 20 on the respectivesides of the wheel 3, as shown inFig. 4, adapt the tool to be used at both ends of a box with itshand-lever projecting in one and the same direction, convenient to theright hand (or left hand) of the operative.

The frame 1 of the improved tool and others of its parts may obviouslybe changed considerably in construction without affecting the operationof the tool; and other like modifications will suggest themselves tothose skilled in the art.

Having thus described said improvement, I claim as my invention anddesire to patent under this specification:

1. The combination, in a box-strap tool, of a frame having vertical andhorizontal ortions forming a rentrant angle at its ottom adapted to temorarily embrace one of the top corners of a ox, a pawl-carrying handlever, a toothed Wheel mteractmg therewith, a longitudina y SlottedShaft mounted in said frame for g h fu um of said hand-lever and rota bh a wheel, and a'dogpivoted to sal frame an interacting with said wheel.

2. The combination, in a box-stra tool, of a frame having vertical andhorizontal portions, adapted to temporarily, embrace one of the topcorners of a box and constructed with cross bars at the bottom of saidhorizontal portion to rest upon the box cover and box strap, apawl-carrying handlever, a toothed wheel a longitudinally slotted shaftmounted in said horizontal portion of the frame, forming the fulcrum ofsaid hand lever and rotatable with said wheel, and a dog pivoted to'saidvertical portion an wheel. 7

3. The combination, in a box-stra tool, of a frame adapted to betemporarily eld in working position on a box, a longitudinally slottedand frame, a toothed wheel fast on said shaft, a hand-lever carrying apair of s ring-pressed pawls and a reversing device w ich lifts one orthe other. of said pawls to determine the interacting therewith,

interacting with said rotatable shaft mounted in said direction of,rotation, and a dog pivoted to I said frame and interactin' with saidwheel when the wheel and sha t are rotated to tighten the box strap.

4. The combination, of a framevhaving, vertical and horizontal portionsand ada ted to embrace one of the top corners ofa ox, a'pawl-carryinghandlever, a toothed wheel interacting therewith, a rotatable horizontalshaft mounted in said horizontal portion of the frame, having said wheelfast thereon at mid length, con structed with longitudinal slots on bothsides of said wheel and forming the fulcrum of said hand-lever, and adog pivoted to said vertical portion of the frame and interacting withsaid wheel, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

EDWARD. J. BROOKS.

Witnesses a W. lMiBROOKS, ELLEN J. BRooKs.

in a box-strap tool,

